In a final push to pass health-care reform, the Obama administration reportedly is drawing up a new health plan, aiming to garner greater bipartisan support by incorporating some of the Republican ideas aired at the president's health summit. According to Fox News, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Obama's plan, due to be announced on Wednesday, is "much smaller" than the version already passed by the House and Senate. Is President Obama just making some last-minute tweaks, or are Democrats finally conceding in the year-long health-care battle?
The Democrats are caving to save their skins: The "single loudest message" from Republicans at President Obama's health summit was "to start over," says Bill Dupray in True/Slant. It now "appears that the president has capitulated." It's "only logical" -- the American people "overwhelmingly oppose the current plans," and ramming them through would have ensured the Democrats' "electoral destruction" in November.
"Did the president cave? Are we starting over?
Obama is merely trying to rally reluctant Democrats: President Obama can't "seriously come forward with an even weaker bill at this point," says Michael J.W. Stickings in The Reaction, "not with so much of his liberal-progressive base on the verge of abandoning him altogether." Fortunately, it appears that Fox News got it wrong. Nancy Pelosi isn't about to back down -- and neither is Obama.
"What the %#&@? (Or, what's up with health-care reform? And what are the Democrats doing?)"
This is all about Democratic spin: The Democrats don't intend to start over, says Ed Morrissey in Hot Air. By incorporating "a few GOP ideas like tort reform," they plan to argue that their "leviathan" health-care reform bill is actually bipartisan -- even though they're going to ram it through without Republican votes.
"Plan C: Obama set to introduce 'much smaller' health-care bill on Wednesday"
